Will Brett Hulsey shake up the governor's race?

MADISON (WKOW) -- Brett Hulsey's entry into the Governor's race could shake up the Democratic field.

But political scientist Ken Mayer said it's not likely to.

"I dont think this is a serious challenge for the nomination," said Mayer, a professor of political science at the UW-Madison. Hulsey announced his candidacy for Governor on Monday.

Mayer said Hulsey is among the most liberal members of the state assembly, where he was first elected in 2010. But he said Hulsey lacks name recognition around the state.

Mayor also said Hulsey's erratic behavior through the years, most notably bringing a box cutter to the Capitol in what he said was an effort to teach a legislative staffer self defense, means he won't be seen by many as a serious candidate. He said Democratic front runner Mary Burke is not likely to alter her campaign strategy based on Hulsey's candidacy.

Mayer said Hulsey's run for the Governor's office could actually help Burke.

"Hulsey is so far to the left," Mayer said. "Even among Democrats he's very much on the far left edge of the party spectrum."

"Compared to him, (Burke) looks downright moderate," he said. "So it could be an opportunity for her to contrast herself with somebody who is very liberal."

Hulsey also still needs to gather 2-thousand signatures by June 2 to guarantee himself a spot on the Democratic primary ballot.

"I don't think that's really a sure thing," Mayer said.

But Mayer added Hulsey's candidacy could be motivated by aspirations other than winning the nomination.

"I think he would count (his run) as a win if he's able to put his ideas on the agenda and get them covered," Mayer said.

Hulsey is centering his campaign platform around ideas like promoting green energy, putting more money into public schools and restoring collective bargaining rights to public sector workers. Hulsey has long been a vocal opponent of Act 10 - Gov. Scott Walker's 2011 law that limited the collective bargaining rights of most public employees.

Hulsey will appear as Capitol Bureau Chief Greg Neumann's guest on Capitol City Sunday this Sunday at 9 a.m. on WKOW.